Girl Scouts of Southern Alabamahttp://www.girlscoutssa.org/blog/
Living the Girl Scout Life in Southern Alabamaen-USCopyright 2015Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:11:48 -0600http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specificationDozing with Dolphins was a Lot of Fun!

My troop
participated in the Dozing with Dolphins program this weekend. It was a lot of
fun. The program was at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport,
MS. They rescue dolphins and also sea turtles there. We learned
about how they rescue animals and also about how they cleaned them after the
Gulf oil spill.

On Friday we had different activities, and each
group went to each activity at a different time. My group started with the
dolphin rescue relay, which was a relay race where we had to check a stuffed
dolphin's pulse, cover it with a towel, spray it with water, and carry it in a
rescue sling. Later that night we watched the movie A Dolphin's Tale
which showed the same steps in it. Next we sifted through sand to find
fossilized teeth. We also used a Japanese art process to make t-shirts.
Our favorite activity on Friday was the Discovery room. There we touched
sting rays, horseshoe crabs, starfish, a shark, and blue crabs in tanks. We
also touched a snake.

On Saturday, we saw a dolphin demonstration with trainers
and a sea lion. It was really interesting to see how the trainers communicated
with the animals. My troop also talked with a trainer about their
bird program. My troop used our cookie money to pay for a dolphin
interaction after Dozing with Dolphins had ended. That was really a lot of fun, too.

Amerie Gramelspacher is our latest Gold Awardee, whose very important topic is suicide prevention. Amerie joined Girl Scouts in the 2nd grade, and feels that helped her to develop her leadership skills. Through her Gold award process, she has discovered a love for psychology, and plans to pursue it in college.

She graciously answered our questions about her Gold Award process:

Please give an overview of your Gold Award Project and the steps you took to complete it.

My project was to advocate for suicide awareness and prevention. I spoke at several churches, runs and events about the topic of suicide. I conducted a suicide prevention and awareness 5k in my community to raise money for advocacy in my community and to teach people in the community more about suicide. There were about 100 people at my event. I raised $1,100 from the run with $500 left over after expenses. With that money, I purchased a suicide prevention curriculum for all of the health classes at my school to use. I also purchased suicide prevention and awareness signage that is now hanging in the halls of my middle and high school. Throughout my project, I was in communication with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). They are a nation-wide organization dedicated to the awareness of suicide prevention. My elementary, middle, and high school teachers are now engaged in an annual suicide prevention and awareness training. This training is hosted be the AFSP.

How did you come up with your idea?

The topic of suicide is one that touches close to my heart. My aunt committed suicide as well as a fellow classmate. I knew that suicide was a problem however I wasn't sure how to effectively address it. My cousin introduced me to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They conduct annual walks in order to raise awareness about suicide. That's where I got the idea to host a suicide prevention run to raise awareness in my community. The funds from the run would also be used to further the advocacy in a more sustainable way.

Were you intimidated by the scale of the project?

I was at first very intimidated. There was a lot of work to be done to begin advocating for suicide prevention in a town that's never had that type of advocacy. I wasn't sure how to begin or if my efforts would be successful.

How did you keep up the momentum for the project?

The process of the Gold Award is very long and tedious. However I picked a topic for my project that I feel strongly and passionate about. My desire for my project to succeed and help others is what kept me going.

Were you ever discouraged? If so, what did you do to overcome that?

All of the follow up work and waiting for people to respond. Sometimes people took forever to respond and when they finally did it wasn't always the response you expected or were hoping for.

Can you tell us a little story about some part of your project that was special to you?

Throughout the course of my project, I have heard many people's stories of how suicide has affected them. People I didn't know personally would share with me their own struggle with suicide or a story of someone close to them. I hold all of these stories close to my heart now.

How will people benefit from this?

People will continue to learn about suicide from my project sustainability. They will realize that suicide is not an issue that should stay in the dark; in order for it to get better it must come out into the light.

How did you feel after you finished?

I felt relieved that it was over and happy that I had succeeded. My project meant so much to me, so when it was finally complete I felt relief and satisfaction.

What advice would you give to other girls considering a Gold Award?

I would tell them to make sure you pick a project your passionate about. Having a connection to the issue you're addressing makes it easy to come up with ideas to advocate.

Your Gold Project made a change for the better in your community. How did it change you?

I learn a lot more about suicide through my suicide prevention and awareness project. From now on I will always consider myself a suicide prevention advocate. Throughout my project I have sparked an interest in the field of psychology.

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http://www.girlscoutssa.org/blog/2015/03/we-interview-amerie-gramelspac.htmlGirl AwardsGold AwardMon, 30 Mar 2015 19:55:14 -0600Selling Cookies is a Business, and I am Part of that Business

Hi! My name is
Tamatha. I have been in
Girl Scouts for four years. Every
year at cookie season, I make a goal for where I want to sell up to. This year I want to sell up to 500
boxes. Instead of just
making a goal for us, we can make a goal for the troop by selling enough
cookies and getting enough money, we can go on trips like the Birmingham Zoo.

Our troop
also has to make decisions by deciding what trip we will go on. We also have to decide how many
cookies to bring to booth sales. When
we have a booth sale at the mall for three hours, we will decide on how the
cookies usually sell and how many hours we are selling. If Thanks-a-lots sell
really well, we will bring 3 or 4 cases, but if Lemonades don't sell that well,
we will only bring 1 or 2 cases.

When my
troop earned the Money Management badge, we had to learn that when a customer
bought two boxes of cookies it would cost $7.00 and if they paid with a $10 bill,
they would get $3 back; but if they pay with a $20 bill, they would get $13
back. If we bought 2 movie
tickets and each are $6 and we pay with a $20 bill, we will get $8 back.

I learn
how to communicate with different people by being polite using manners,
listening to people and lots of others. When
selling cookies, you have to be able to ask politely. I learn to be courteous by listening
to why they want to buy cookies and why they do not want to buy cookies and
accepting their reasons.

Selling
cookies is a business and I am a part of that business. I learn how to take care of money and
give correct change. I
learned a whole lot about supply and demand. Having enough cookies for the demand
of my customers, keeps me very busy.

As a Girl
Scout and part of the cookie business, I have learned a whole lot and will
learn more with each cookie sale.

After being in Girl Scouts for seven years, I have learned a lot
of things. Most of those things are the five skills of Girl Scouts that you see on
all the boxes and cases of Girl Scout Cookies: money management, goal setting,
decision making, people skills, and business ethics.

With the money, sometimes
the leader will help us tell the customer how much it is so you have to know a
little math. We don't handle the actual money though. As for goal setting, I
think the girls, as do I , like having to work toward, so the prizes are a
motivation and just being able to say "this year I sold the most
cookies." My troop is always so excited about the award ceremony at the
end of Cookie Season to see how many cookies they sold. The cookies themselves
play into the decision making. I mean, who wants to decide which cookies you
want to get! They're all so delicious and I think most everyone can agree with
me on that! Anyway, the 4th skill: people skills. I am not that good with
people, but as the years have gone by I've slowly opened up and stopped
cowering by the table and started asking more and more people if they would
like to buy cookies. Business ethics make up a small part of each of
these too.

The point is, I have learned things like different math skills, how to
make and fulfill goals, make tricky decisions, communicate properly with
people, and business skills I can use in the future. Girl Scouting is a great
thing and can teach many other children very valuable skills that they will
appreciate later in the future.

December 22, 2014 began my seventh year of
selling cookies. This year I used the new CoCo Direct (Digital Cookie) and sent
emails. I have already reached 1/3 of my goal selling just to family and
friends, so I think this sale year is going great.

Over the years I have learned that math is
important in making change and keeping up with orders; that customers respond
to politeness and enthusiasm; and that cookie selling is more complicated than
just walking around with an order form, and takes planning and budgeting.

My troop is raising money this year to go zip
lining and to pay for a dolphin encounter. Last year we used cookie proceeds to
spend the night in the Atlanta Aquarium. It was an awesome trip.

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program we are taught 5
essential skills.

I have learned goal setting is very important and needed
because if you don't have a goal you don't know what you're working for.
Decision making is another skill learned through the Cookie Program. You first
have to make decisions such as where you will sell your cookies because if you
don't have decisions made you don't have any idea what your plan is. Another
one of the 5 skills learned through the Cookie Program is money management and
it is one of the most important things when selling cookies. You need to know
how to count back change.

The more the girls can do, the better the selling. Let the
older girls handle the money because it does take a little longer for the
little ones to count back change. Always double count the change and add up the
boxes sold right after the sale just to make sure that you have the correct
amount of money. Having people skills is also another important skill when
selling cookies. Girl Scouts need to
have good people skills because some people are not very nice and I have
learned that you have to be nice no matter what. The last thing you learn is
good business ethics.

To have a successful Cookie Sale, it's important to know how
to run your cookie business and manage your money wisely.

Have you ever heard
of Girl Scouts? I have. Girl Scouts has changed my life for the better
by teaching me how to get along with my friends. That's the first thing I learned because if
you don't know how to get along you won't have a fun time in Girl Scouts. Getting along with your friends makes it
easier to have a fun time in Girl Scouts.
Another reason is you can make more friends instead of just having the
same friends. You can do that by handing out membership registration papers so that different friends can join your troop.

Girl Scouts also gives me the opportunities to be a
Press-Rep. Press-Reps get to be on the
news. They get to spread Girl Scouts to
other girls. That means more girls can
enjoy Girl Scouts like you.

In Girl Scouts, I got to learn about a lot of things like
pets, painting, letterboxing, and lots more.
We went to wet pets and saw lots of different pets like cats, dogs,
parrots, turtles, fish, and lots more.
We also learned a lot. When we
earned our painting badge, we went to this place called Tipsy Painting. We learned how if you listen to music it will
help you so that you know what you want to paint. For letterboxing, we made a stamp by getting
little erasers and hot gluing them to a coke bottle top. We also got a little notebook and pen and put
them in a bag with a stamp pad in it. So
now you know a little about how Girl Scouts has changed my life for the better.

Service Unit 914 celebrated Juliette Gordon Low's birthday on National Make a Difference Day with a Halloween Carnival. Nine troops got together and brought games for everyone to play. The girls could win bead necklaces as prizes, to remind us of Juliette's pearls.

All of the girls brought canned food to donate to the Montgomery Area Food Bank. We collected 203 pounds of food. Troop 9054 won the award for the most cans brought and Sydney A. of troop 9054 and Erica L. of Troop 9327 brought the most and second most number of cans.

We also had a Halloween costume contest. It was a great turnout and a lot of fun.

Hi, my name is Mary Virginia. Last summer I went to the Brownie SamplerCamp. There are four units atcamp, Mariner, which is also called the Young Unit, Pioneer, Ranger, and Mountaineer. Only one unit has cabins, the Young Unit. That is where I stayed. There is a unit house and 8 cabins. I stayed in cabin 6 with one other girl. We did not know each other, but we werecampbuddies and we became friends.

When you first get to camp, your parent can put money in your account for the Trading Post. You can get things like candy, toys, and other things. The Trading Post is fun.

At this camp you can have two sessions where you choose what you want to do that day. My favorite thing was probably swimming. That is why both my sessions were swimming. For me, swimming is a challenge and an activity. I really like it.

Another thing we did at camp was arts and crafts. I liked that because we got to pick out and decorate walking sticks. It was also fun coloring caps with markers. We could have also made bead buddies. It was really fun.

We also learned some new songs at camp. Some songs we sang were "The Marshmallow Song", "Fudgy the Whale", "Dry Bones", and "A Crazy Moose." They were really funny. I like them.

We also earned our hiking badge while we were at this camp. We went on a hike and made trail mix to get it. We received the badge at the end of camp. It was fun getting it.

If you would like to try camping, I would recommend the Brownie Sampler camp.

Once you get
the hang of the knots on these bracelets, you'll be flying through them! The below bracelet tutorials are good for
girls who can follow instructions to begin with and then complete the bracelet
without any more help. *Adults should be
responsible for following the website links*

Supplies Needed:

Embroidery
thread of many different colors

Scissors

Means of
holding the end of the bracelet down (such as tape, a safety pin or even a clip
board)

Below are
three suggested friendship bracelets that are great for beginners. Each bracelet incorporates one repetitive
knot that creates a colorful and funky fashion statement. Take a look at the links to the online
tutorials, gather your supplies, and get the girls started! As always, this isn't about perfection, it is
about learning a new skill and helping out a cause! *Adults should be responsible
for following the website links*

Supplies Needed:

Embroidery
floss of many different colors (or wax linen cord if you prefer for The Braided
Bead)

8/o seed
beads for the Braided Bead

Scissors

Means of
holding the end of the bracelet down (such as tape, a safety pin or even a clip
board)

Morgan's gold award project focused on the lack of
educational encouragement, positivity, and general public knowledge of Taylor
Park. She collected donations, researched ways to promote positivity in the
classroom, painted the room, downloaded new educational software on the
computers, and spread the word about Taylor Park throughout the Mobile
community, the nation, and the world

We interview all Gold Award recipients, asking them to tell us more about their personal journey, to give other girls an idea of how it feels to go through the Gold Award process.

How did you come up with your idea?

After meeting with the
teachers and the head of the community center, my heart went out to these
children who had only Taylor Park as a safe place to go after school and their
classroom was a place that didn't have the resources to encourage further
schooling past middle and high school or promote positive living.

Were you intimidated by the scale of the project?

I've led and
participated in more service projects than I can count, but one of this caliber
was definitely intimidating.

How did you keep up the momentum for the project?

It was absolutely difficult to keep up with the work load of senior year
of high school, graduation, and a gold award project, but whenever the work
load got to the point where I considered quitting, I thought about those kids
and their situation and I got motivated to continue.

Were you ever discouraged? If so, what did you do to
overcome that?

I was definitely discouraged at points. Whenever problems would arise, I
felt like the project was never going to be finished. But my passion is
education for all, and when I grew up I wanted to make a difference in the
world and in the lives of children. So I asked myself what defines you as
'grown up'? When you have bills, when you have kids, when you get married, when
you begin your career? When? I realized I didn't have to wait for all of those
things to happen before I was able to start making a difference in this world. I
was starting with these kids at Taylor Park.

Can you tell us a little story about some part of your project
that was special to you?

The most touching part of my project was at the end of the open house
while I was packing up the left over water bottles, this little girl came up to
me and asked if she could take some waters home since she doesn't have any
water at home. I then helped her stuff her little backpack full of water
bottles and she went on her way. That moment just touched me and showed how
lucky I am to have all that I do, and I truly hope that my project made a
positive impact in her life.

How will people benefit from this?

People will benefit
from my project in numerous ways. The immediate impact of enhancing the room
created an atmosphere where the kids could be encouraged to continue not just
their school work, but to also lead a more positive life. My project also
helped to spread the word about the community center and how to get involved
which will help to increase Taylor Park's volunteer sources.

How did you feel after you finished?

I felt extremely accomplished when I finished the project. It was a sense
of relief and elation that I was done and that I actually completed something
of such caliber.

What advice would you give to other girls considering a Gold
Award?Going for your Gold Award is definitely hard work. It's not easy, but if
it was, then the award wouldn't mean anything once you earned it. During your
project, you'll question yourself and ask "Is this really worth it?" and the
answer is yes. You may not think so at that point, but trust me, once you
complete something that actually makes a difference in your community and
beyond, you'll question why you didn't do it sooner!

Your Gold Project made a change for the better in your
community. Did it change you? It made a change to
my outlook on my own life. Seeing the problems that this poor community faced,
it made my everyday problems seem like blessings. I took away leadership
skills, organizational skills, and I definitely learned how to manage my time
better!

My name is
Gabriella, and I'm a Cadette in Troop 8645 in Mobile. I have been a Girl
Scout for almost five years, and in all that time, I still have not tasted a
Girl Scout cookie. All of that will change this cookie season.

Four years
ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which is an Auto-Immune Disease that
causes my body to attack gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, spelt,
rye, malt, and some oats. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small
fingerlike projections that line the small intestine and promote nutrient
absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly
into the body. Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning that it runs in families. It
is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people.

Currently,
the only treatment for celiac disease is by sticking to a strict gluten-free
diet. So for me, that means I am unable to eat things that my friends eat, like
donuts, pizza and cookies that contain gluten. It is hard sometimes to watch
others eat snacks and treats that I am unable to eat. But this cookie season
all that will change. Our council will be getting a shipment of gluten-free
Girl Scout cookies! I'm really excited about these new cookies. I can't wait
for cookie season to start so I can say I ate a Girl Scout Cookie. I hope they
sell well so we can get them again next year.